WATERVILLE, Maine – Defending North Atlantic Conference (NAC) champion SUNY Poly was picked to finish the season atop the West Division while Husson University was tabbed to carry the East Division in preseason voting among the conference’s men’s soccer coaches.
SUNY Poly received 31 points including five first-place votes in the West poll, with SUNY Canton picked second with 28 points and one first-place vote. Cazenovia College was third with 26 points, while SUNY Delhi (19 pts.), SUNY Cobleskill (14 pts.), and Northern Vermont-Johnson (8 pts.) round out the West Division preseason rankings.
Husson University, which won the East Division regular season crown a year ago, was again the coaches’ choice to finish atop the division with 35 points including five first-place votes. UMaine-Farmington, who knocked off Husson the NAC Men’s Soccer Tournament East Division Semifinal before falling to SUNY Poly in the conference championship game, received 27 points in the voting with one first-place vote to finish second. Thomas College garnered 24 points to finish third in the East Division poll, followed by Maine Maritime (27 pts.), UMaine-Presque Isle (10 pts.), and Northern Vermont-Lyndon (8 pts.).
The 2022 regular season starts on Thursday, Sept. 1, with the first North Atlantic Conference matches slated for Saturday, Sept. 10.
The 2022 NAC Tournament opens with divisional quarterfinal games on Saturday, Oct. 29, and concludes in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Complete poll results and capsule previews for the North Atlantic Conference’s 12 teams are below:
WEST DIVISION
SUNY Poly – 31 points (5 first-place votes)
Defending NAC champion SUNY Poly finished the season with a 14-3-4 overall record, 5-0-0 versus NAC West opponents, and will be trying to record back-to-back titles in 2022. NAC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-NAC honoree Wakeley Banker leads the SUNY Poly Wildcats; Banker was also a considerable threat at the offensive end of the field and finished the campaign with 13 goals for 26 points. Head Coach Peterson Jerome will be on the SUNY Poly touchline for his 20th season leading the program.
SUNY Canton – 28 points (1 first-place vote)
The Roos’ 27-player roster to start the 2022 season features 14 returnees led by Honorable Mention All-NAC selection senior Agustin Nunez (3G, 6A, 12 Pts.). Sophomore Martin Torales (1G, 2A, 4 Pts.) and junior Jason Hernandez (3A) round out the list of top returning field players, while SUNY Canton will have Owen Kwong (.667 save pct., 1.87 GAA, 917 minutes) and Jason Meneses (.900 save pct., 0.63 GAA, 18 saves) returning in goal. Head Coach Tim Penrod’s squad went 7-9-1 overall in 2021, 3-2-0 versus NAC West opponents, and will be trying to challenge for the top spot in the NAC West in 2022.
Cazenovia College – 26 points
Cazenovia posted an 11-4-2 overall record in 2021, 3-2-0 versus NAC West opponents, and finished fourth overall in the conference. The Wildcats will be paced in 2022 by Joaquin Romero (3G, 3A, 9 Pts.) and Brandon Patterson (6G, 1A, 13 Pts.) on the attack, and Honorable Mention All-NAC honoree Adrian Perez Rocha anchoring the back line. After a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in last season’s NAC West final, Cazenovia enters the 2022 campaign extremely motivated to enhance their reputation with the North Atlantic Conference.
SUNY Delhi – 19 points
SUNY Delhi boasts eleven returning players with the addition of twenty new faces this fall, led by Honorable Mention All-NAC defender Cesar Cruz-Vasquez. Building off the Broncos’ first-ever season as active members of Division III in 2021, the memories of ten close one-goal games are a driving motivator and focus of a returnee’s group that went 3-12-1 a year ago. E.J. Reutemann will return for year two at the helm of SUNY Delhi men’s soccer, which begins play in a new turf facility this fall.
SUNY Cobleskill – 14 points
The Fighting Tigers will be seeking a second-straight post-season berth in 2022, after going 2-3-0 in the NAC West, 4-12-0 overall, a year ago. SUNY Cobleskill will be led by senior GK John Gergen (0.732 save pct., 112 total saves) on the defensive end, and Cater Ciavardoni (4G, 1A, 9 Pts.) at the attacking end of the pitch. Under Head Coach Joe Machado, last year’s young SUNY Cobleskill team returns as a more experienced group and Machado expects his Fighting Tigers to a more athletic and dynamic squad in the final third this season.
Northern Vermont-Johnson – 8 points
Head Coach Andrew Lafrenz returns five players and two starters off last year’s squad, and will welcome his first full recruiting class in 2022 as his Badgers try to improve upon last season’s 1-13-0 record. Midfielders Wyatt Moberg (1G, 1A, 3 Pts.) and Silas Lowenthal highlight the list of returnees. Joining the veterans will be transfer goalkeeper Carlos Dominquez and fellow newcomers Simon Benitez, Eliud Villireal, Carter Hubley, and William Paulson.
EAST DIVISION
Husson University – 35 points (5 first-place votes)
Last season’s NAC East regular-season champion and no. 1 overall conference tournament seed with a 13-3-3 overall record, 5-0-0 against NAC East rivals, Husson returns 10 of its 11 starters from the 2021 campaign. All-Region striker Arni Hreidarsson (10G, 4A, 24 Pts.) and defender Pedro Molina (3G, 1A, 7 Pts.) lead the list of returnees, with eight newcomers joining the Eagles including transfers Christian Quinones (Wesleyan) and Tyler Welch (Metro State-Denver). Head Coach Gavin Penny returns for his seventh season on the Husson touchline.
UMaine-Farmington – 27 points (1 first-place vote)
UMaine-Farmington finished as runner-up behind SUNY Poly in the NAC Tournament championship game, and the Beavers are hungry to return to the title game. Led by fourth-year Head Coach Blake Hart, UMaine-Farmington is led by First Team All-NAC honoree Jonah Sautter (.722 save pct., 1.12 GAA, 1210 minutes) in goal, and Yusuf Mohamed (7G, 1A, 15 Pts.). The Beavers posted an 11-4-2 overall record in 2021, 3-2-0 versus NAC East rivals, and will be trying to build upon last year’s success.
Thomas College – 24 points
There will be a new face – sort of – guiding the 2022 edition of Thomas College men’s soccer, as former Terrier standout and longtime assistant Kyle Fletcher assumes the helm as head coach at his alma mater. Thomas will be led by Eric LaBrie (7G, 4A, 18 Pts.) and Joshua Joseph (4G, 6A, 14 Pts.) as it tries to improve upon last season’s 10-5-0 overall mark, 4-1-0 versus NAC East foes, with 15 returning players and seven returning starters.
Maine Maritime Academy – 22 points
Head Coach Billy Shannon’s squad notched a 6-9-1 overall mark in 2021, 2-3-0 against NAC East foes, and returns eight starters for 2022. The Mariners will be led by a pair of 2021 Honorable Mention All-NAC players in midfielder JD Vandemergel (1G, 1A, 3 Pts.) and midfielder Xander Fortuna-Ramos (3G, 6 Pts.), in addition to 2019 First Team All-NAC honoree GK Trevor Gray (.833 save pct., 1.22 GAA, 1180 minutes in 2019). Reuben Harrison (2G, 2A, 6 Pts.), a 2019 NAC All-Tournament team selection, returns to anchor the Mariners’ attack.
UMaine-Presque Isle – 10 points
Head Coach Alan Gordon’s squad will be seeking to improve upon its 2-12-0 overall record from last season, when the Owls posted a 1-4-0 record against NAC East foes. The Owls will be led by Honorable Mention All-NAC forward Diego Vega (8G, 3A, 19 Pts.) and midfielder Nyden Reed (2G, 3A, 7 Pts.). Headlining the newcomers will by a pair of Maine all-conference recruits in Xavier Mcatee (Presque Isle, Maine) and Caelan Billings (Sullivan, Maine), as well as Matthew Bayonne from Michigan City, Indiana.
Northern Vermont-Lyndon – 8 points
Northern Vermont-Lyndon returns nine roster players including eight starters from its 2021 squad, paced by Second Team All-NAC goalkeeper Brett Roy (141 total saves, .675 save pct., 4.21 GAA, 1453 minutes) and striker Gilbert Flores (4G, 1A, 9 Pts.). Led by eighth-year Head Coach Rob Carey, the Hornets expect to be stronger than a year ago with more experience and some talented newcomers, and will be looking to surprise some NAC rivals as the team gels. NVU-Lyndon will be seeking to improve upon last season’s 3-12-1 overall mark, 2-3-0 against NAC East opponents.